


LWA Omegaverse Shots and Dumps

by BleeBleep



Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Arranged Marriage, F/F, LWA Omegaverse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-16 03:14:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28949490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BleeBleep/pseuds/BleeBleep
Summary: Bunch of stuff of omegaverse that I want to tackle, mainly its past, laws, common situations that interacts with omegaverse, and other situation that affects this genre. Updates may vary due to workload.
Relationships: Diana Cavendish/Atsuko "Akko" Kagari
Comments: 15
Kudos: 194





	1. Chapter 1

**Omegaverse Prompt #1: Arranged Marriages**

“There’s another complaint from the eastern clans again,”

A deep sigh. “Where is she?”

“She left the area pretty quickly. Hayate and Ryuu are following her in the park. She’s petting dogs.”

“Bring her back here this instant.”

The beta secretary bowed and left quickly, leaving the old man on his own inside the spacious room. He sighs again, dragging the paintbrush back on the ink and swiping it across the paper, sharp red eyes following the strokes of black but his mind was still reminded of the location of his omega granddaughter. Well, he has no one else to blame but himself for this. For such stone-cold leader of the Kagari clan, Akiro Kagari spoiled his grandchildren rotten since he first got the news of his omega daughter-in-law being pregnant. It got worse when the last child presented as an omega, and even if he made his men follow her around until the end of time, he knew he couldn’t keep her in this cage for very long.

This in mind, he put down the paintbrush and got up, leaving the serene silence of the running water and chirping birds, and enters the other side of the massive household, followed by his two bodyguards in haoris. Almost immediately, there was screaming, familiar voices repeating the same charade that he first heard years ago. Intimidating omega scents was

“—It wouldn’t have happened if she just left me alone and admitted that I got to the rare card first! How could have I even known that she was from the Aoyama clan?!” He heard the ever high-pitched omega voice of his granddaughter.

“You would if you came to one of the meetings I’ve been telling you to go!” The more mature omega voice of his daughter-in-law shot back.

“Well, _my bad then!_ ” Akiro rolled his eyes at the blatant jab of sarcasm and snapped his fingers. The doors opened and all of the screaming stopped, his presence and scent growing into the room. The two omegas paused to look at him in shock, one of them dressed in the familiar red family robes and one of them dressed more simply, if not showing more skin than necessary. He sees two of his other guards in the room as well as two maids, along with his granddaughter alpha sitting at the table.

He sees the familiar ponytail tied among it, bright red eyes widening before glancing away, crossing her arms and glaring elsewhere. Akari, his daughter-in-law, saw the action and sighs. She bows to him. “Good afternoon, Otoo-san. My apologies if we were being too loud.”

He grunts and waves his hand. “It wasn’t quite as loud as the other fights, it’s fine. So I heard Akko yet again fought with one our competing clans?”

“Hey! That Aoyama girl started it!” Akko suddenly snapped, glaring at him. He could see Megumi, Akko’s older sister, quickly pinching her arm and Akko flinched away.

“Stop it, will you?” Megumi hissed. Akko glared at her again before crossing her arms back and standing back up.

“Look, I didn’t mean to aggravate her. She just got on my nerves! Which by the way was completely _her_ fault! I didn’t do anything to her!”

Hayate, one of her guards, leaned in. “Uh, if I may, my lady, you did call Hina Aoyama a ‘cunt brick’.”

“Whatever! So don’t expect me to apologize to her any time, Jii-chan!” Akko raised her chin, turned her heel, and marched off to the other side of the room to leave. She slammed the door, carrying her omega scent with her, leaving the room with yet again more problems that _he_ is going to be the one to deal with.

Akiro sighed at the childish display. While he was known in the yakuza world to be aggressive and strict, as all alpha leaders should be, he knew he couldn’t pronounce the same leniency to his omega granddaughter. Akko was the youngest grandchild, coincidentally the prettiest of the daughters as well, taking a lot of her omega mother rather than her alpha father. One thing that spoke of her being a Kagari was her red eyes. It was no surprise that Akiro loved her as the same as he loved her other siblings (seeing as they’re the children of his only proud sire, Daisuke), but when Akko presented as an omega, all other strictness that the Kagari clan exhumed for their alphas was immediately exempted for her.

They expected her to be an omega either way. She wasn’t as sharp or as strong as her other siblings and was always on the smaller side of the girl’s spectrum growing up, but despite this, she always caused trouble. She climbed trees too high for her, picked battles she can never be ready for, and was spoiled rotten with attention and gifts from family and various suitors. She was the runt of the clan, and yet, they loved her all the same. Akko has always held a certain spark inside her, and whenever she was in the room, she always drew attention for herself.

And Akiro _supposes_ he’ll have to blame himself for that one time he agreed to bring her to that theatre show. Remembering those 10 years after where the girl was obsessed with the show and theatre actress, Akiro sighed and went back to his office to make letters and calls apologizing about his granddaughter’s misbehaviors _again_.

He’s getting too old for this. And his son and alpha grandchildren were all equally busy running the underworld as well. Babysitter after babysitter, be they alpha, beta, or omega, Akko always found a way to get out of their clutches. He needed someone with similar authority as his family to look after her…

As the old yakuza skimmed through the folders of various babysitters to look after Akko in the next week again, a knock from his secretary tells him that he’s been invited to a party by the mafia elite of Wedingburgh from Europe. He sighs, this lifestyle is only endless work. He is truly getting old.

***

Daryl clicked off her phone after hearing the failure that is the blind date between Diana and Clarisse. No surprise there, but it’s been, what, the 68th date she set the girl up with? Daryl’s lost count. She can’t care less.

The Cavendish proxy-head twirled the flute of champagne in her hand, wondering which girl out there who was at least on par with Diana’s status that she can marry her off to. Screw that, any girl will do. If Daryl knew any news about Diana having a lover behind her back, she would force her to marry her then. Unfortunately, while Diana is extremely sharp in other various categories, such exemplary brilliance comes with a price. That price is apparently the lack of brain cells when it came to omegas. So the chances of Diana having any lovers behind her back was stark to none.

If Daryl could remember, back when Diana was entering middle school, there was a searing handprint once on Diana’s cheek after Bernadette left her alone with the omega daughter of an Earl from Italy. That was enough of a warning to the following years of blundering through the field called ‘love’ for the young Cavendish.

The whole warfare with the De Louvres was getting to her, and Daryl could only hope that Diana would fulfill all the requirements needed to ascend as the head of the Cavendishes, one of which is being married to a proper partner of equal status, so Daryl wouldn’t have to take on _that_ shitstorm coming.

As Daryl contemplates on the next pit of paperwork by the time she comes back to the manor, she suddenly hears someone clearing their throat somewhere to her left. She glances at him, her guards behind her flanking her closely. Daryl recognizes the red eyes of the alpha, his scent reeking of righteous blood and chipped metal.

“Daryl Cavendish,” Akiro begins. Daryl replies in kind and he smiles. “So I can’t help but overhear your conversation over the phone. You’re saying Diana is still a bachelorette?”

Daryl shrugs. “Still is. She’s dodging the girls I brought into the house like bullets. Why? Are you offering one of your granddaughter as a potential mate?” She meant that as a joke, of course. While partnering with the yakuzas could most certainly help as buffer to their army against the De Louvres, she knew it would take more than that to get one of the biggest mafia groups to be on her side.

Then there was a pregnant pause from the two of them.

“About that…”

***

Akko’s head was pounding.

_Ohhhh god, I shouldn’t have drank all those jello shots!_ The brunette thought, tying the sash around her short bathrobe, remembering how she spent the night before in a new bar with her friends before bouncing to the next club. Maybe that’s why her feet hurt. _Damn you, Yume!_

She also remembers briefly arguing with someone about the impact of The Shiny Chariot show on European theaters with a total stranger. She remembers getting told right in the face about how the show’s main actress, Chariot Du Nord, was very problematic. Akko doesn’t remember much about the person who said that, but she remembers being _pissed_. In response, Akko got up, took a sip of her drink, splashed it all over the person who said it, and hailed a cab for home.

As Akko takes the pitcher on the table to pour herself a glass of water, she heard the door knocking open and one of her grandfather’s guards and one of the maids came to get her, as per her grandfather’s orders. She downed the glass. “What for? This better not be about that Aoyama girl.”

They don’t say anymore and Akko just went on with it to be done. She had nothing else to do for the day, anyway. Maybe get a latte? She just hoped to maybe rest in her bed and sleep away the headache after getting her aspirin.

“Um, young miss, we don’t mean to judge, but shouldn’t you change?” One of the guards asked. Akko glanced at him and down to her attire. It was just her in her bathrobe. Not the most ideal thing to meet with your grandfather, but they’ve been aloof about her actions since she entered middle school. Jii-chan hasn’t ever questioned her about her tastes since the one time in third grade about the furry cow costume for Halloween.

Akko’s grandfather was already waiting behind his modern office. He raised a brow when she entered and she flashed him one of her signature smiles. “What’s up, Jii-chan?”

He gave her a once-over, face unreadable before telling her to sit down. After handing her aspirin and some water, he suddenly spoke. “Now, Akko, I know you haven’t been in any of the clan meetings for a while now, but I’m just hoping if you still remember the Cavendishes?”

Akko’s furrowed her brows and shrugged. “No?”

“Oh… Well, I don’t think I have any idea on how to break this to you…” Her grandfather had this look of contemplation on his face for a bit before standing up. Akko tilts her head as she takes a sip of her water again, feeling her headache dissipating. “Follow me, Akko.”

And so she does. They leave the office and her grandfather went to open the door leading towards the large meeting room with an oval desk. Wondering what her grandfather could possibly have plans for her, she follows him, but not before catching sight of familiar blonde locks with tea-green highlights.

Blue eyes meet red once again, and Akko’s jaw falls.

“YOU!?” The brunette omega screamed, and it felt like her headache came back. Memories of last night’s arguments startles her memories, and yes, it is in fact the same person who she threw her drink at was the same one currently sitting in one of her grandfather’s meeting rooms, sitting right next to an equally intimidating alpha with the same hair.

“Y-You?” The alpha with her hair down echoes her words, equally as shocked to see the omega. If Akko hadn’t been intently looking at her, she would have missed the way the alpha’s eyes gave her a once-over and how her cheeks had briefly colored themselves red.

Her grandfather glanced at Akko then at the other alpha, arching his brow in surprise. “Atsuko, have you already known Diana Cavendish? I thought you said you didn’t.”

“I-I don’t!” Akko snaps back, gaze not yet leaving the alpha, who quickly looked away when the Kagari Oyabun spoke. “I-It’s, I— Wait, what are they even doing here?”

Her grandfather didn’t answer that and instead sat down in his regular seat in the meeting room, flagging the omega to sit down across the young alpha. They didn’t look at each other closely anymore.

“Akko. I’m going to be honest with you. I am not getting younger. So there is going to be a time when I won’t be there to protect you anymore,” He pauses, as if he’s gauging her reaction, and honestly, with how her eyes are beginning to sting? He darn well has to look at her. “Your father is busy, as well as all your siblings and mother. So now, I need another substitute. A babysitter won’t be enough. Which is why Diana Cavendish here,” He puts out his hand and motions to the blonde sitting next to the older alpha Cavendish. “Is going to be your wife.”


	2. Chapter 2

When Diana thought she had said a basic opinion about a musical theatre, she thought she was maybe going for a proper talk. It was a subject that she overheard and thankfully she has knowledge about it. They were next to each other’s table. And Amanda had been nagging about her to talk to the red-eyed brunette ever since she stepped into the club. What they haven’t expected was a drink thrown at Diana’s face.

Okay, maybe O’Neill had expected it, but Diana?

“Holy shit!” Amanda guffawed next to her as the brunette glared at Diana like she just ran over her cat.

Diana was struck frozen as the lights bounced off the brunette’s red eyes, and she wondered why that gaze looks intensely familiar. Then the brunette told her, “Fuck off!” In perfect English, turned her heel, and walked out of the room.

The people who saw it chortled at the sight of the heiress’s face drenched in what could be a strawberry drink and other mixed alcohol. She thought of following the brunette and talk to her about manners, but fortunately, before her hand could start bleeding from gripping her fist, Amanda shoved a handkerchief on her face.

“Wipe that shit off, you don’t want to go to the Kagari’s tomorrow smelling like alcohol,” Amanda snarked and went back to their table where a massive assortment of food was placed.

“If I can recall, it was _you_ who insisted on coming here celebrating about the Cavendish’s new union with the Yakuza’s,” Diana wiped the splotches of pink from her face then to her hair, and she immediately felt disgusted on how the sugars melted into her shirt. Though, in hindsight, Amanda just probably came here to pick up some new omega arm candy again, rather than to really congratulate themselves for having new alliances for the grove war.

That was proved true when Diana came home alone in the posh hotel after witnessing a disgusting sight of Amanda grinding with not one but _two_ omega bombshells. How the redhead did it Diana would never know. She tried to understand. She got in a knife fight instead and nearly chopped her left index finger off.

_Speaking of omegas…_ Diana thought as she took off her clothes to rinse herself away from the grime of the club, remembering the drunk brunette that blatantly threw her drink at her. _What was her deal? I just spoke an opinion about the Shiny Chariot show._

While it’s been years since the production of said play was discontinued, Diana still held the show close to her heart as it was one of her fondest memories about witches and her mother. Though, looking at it now, the alpha really surprised herself at how she got obsessed over such a childish thing. _Charms of growing up, I suppose._

Clearly though, in some aspects, it seems she hadn’t grown enough.

Diana Cavendish was no alpha to trifle within the underworld. Ever since she had turned old enough to know how a gun works, she’s been trained under her mother’s wing to become the next head of the Cavendish manor and continue leading the underworld as one of the biggest leads in the medical world, as well as having the upper hand of other mafia groups for their vast amount of riches and resources at their disposal. And even after mother had died, Diana kept herself at her toes by studying political sciences and the brutality of the underworld by joining in meetings, parties, and by the time she was 18, the Cavendish’s business of intel begun to flourish fast.

Though for her many achievements as the heiress of the Cavendish house, it seemed there was one field that she had completely flunked. Not in the sense of being unattractive, nor in _that_ apartment, but she apparently lacked the sense to properly approach omegas in a way that bolsters their attraction. Though Diana disagrees, it might not be the fact that omegas aren’t attracted to her the first seven seconds Diana opens her mouth, but the fact that Diana immediately loses interest the first seven seconds the omega opens _their_ s.

Oh well. Tonight wasn’t the first time she had offended such a pretty omega. But hopefully, tomorrow, when she will meet the granddaughter of the great Akiro Kagari, this problem of hers would cease to exist by then.

***

Diana was wrong. She was so very wrong.

Clearly, what she expected the omega granddaughter of the great Kagari yakuza’s was anything but this… this _inappropriately_ dressed woman in front of her. Though, in some details of what Daryl told her about the granddaughter weren’t far off.

Was this omega beautiful? Strikingly so.

Rich? As the omega of the biggest yakuza in Japan, she certainly seemed to be.

But did she expect it to be the same omega that threw her drink at her? Throw her the drink again and maybe Diana will believe it.

They were currently alone in a private spot of the large traditional mansion, in front of an open and vast yard overlooking a massive pond with trees shading some areas, flowers and exotic plants littering the space prettily. The place was serene but the air between wasn’t so. They sat together at a short table where they knelt together in seat cushions, traditional Japanese tea and cookies sitting in front of them. It took Diana some will to not look down over the brunette’s outfit again, where the bathrobe was _kind of slipping off her right shoulder,_ and just tried to focus on her face again.

Outside of the darkness of the club, Diana could now pinpoint why the brunette’s gaze was so familiar yesterday. She had the same color and fierceness of the alpha Kagari head; dark maroon pools that blinked into red when stroked by sunlight. It was captivating and dangerous at the same time, it was no wonder that the Kagaris won over the other gangs so easily, their looks alone were deadly, even without the katanas strapped on their sides. Diana has only seen the man three times yet his gaze always remained the same shade of aggressive.

The same effect could be said about the omega in front of Diana but rather than the rush of intimidation, the color was, for once, captivating to look at. It reminded Diana of the oldest wine in the Cavendish manor and she thought it certainly suited the omega. The color of her hair brings it out. Her scent was fresh sakura and strawberries with citrusy blooms. And then there’s her _stupid bathrobe—_

“God, I can’t believe this,” Atsuko suddenly hissed, face trained to the pond outside, uninterested. Her posture was lazy and rude, looking at anywhere but her soon-to-be fiancé. Though her scent was sweet, it smelled irked.

Diana schools her face into something equally as uninterested. Striking as the omega in front of her maybe, it all came down to their impression. And right now, while Diana was distracted with the omega’s attire, her whole impression was less than tolerable. Count yesterday’s encounter, if Diana had the choice, she would just get up and leave. “Neither can I, Miss Kagari,” Diana nonchalantly replies. “But for the sake of the union your Oyabun and the aunt agreed to, it would be prudent to cancel it.”

Atsuko tilted her head before harrumphing and looking back to the scenery in the ponds, saying nothing. Diana was unimpressed.

Rude, loud, and spoiled; how could the yakuza’s let such an omega run around like this? When Diana encountered her yesterday, she only saw her enter with her friends, looking equally as posh, obvious looking for fun that’s unfit for someone of Atsuko’s status. Diana was aware of how differently they treat their omegas compared to them, but if this flippant omega really was as valuable to the yakuza’s as the rumors were said to be, why would they let her go off running around the night like that? With a bunch of equally brash group too.

_Is she a gambler?_ Diana deduces before she presses her lips together in thought. _No, Mr. Kagari’s policies around his family is strict. A playgirl maybe? If so, then the divorce papers would come sooner than later. And I need this to last for at least until the De Louvres concede with our agreement about the grove. Or until every one of the family members are wiped out._

While Diana steeped herself into thinking how she got into this mess of an agreement, Atsuko suddenly sighed and called, “Ryuu-kun! Get Otou-chan on the phone!”

Diana became puzzled. Who was ‘Otou-chan’? Diana hadn’t studied Japanese enough to properly understand their language. Well, after this she’ll hit the books again to properly converse to her. That is, if this omega did want to talk. Atsuko understood English almost as well as her grandfather did, but judging by how cunningly blunt and stubborn she is, it would take some time for Diana to not get too offended by her words.

Almost immediately, on the other side of the room, the doors slid open, revealing a brawny man in green and dark robes holding out a pink smartphone. He knelt behind Atsuko, held out the phone, and said, “Your father is on the line, my lady.”

_Oh, it’s her father,_ Diana thought before paling. _It’s her father._

“ _Thanks,_ ” Atsuko said in an annoyed tone, snatched the phone off of his hand, and held it up her ear. “‘Tou-chan! Mind explaining to me about this ‘union’?!”

Diana’s eye twitched at how loud the omega was. Hello, inside voices? The guard behind her bowed again, knelt back behind the door, and closed the door silently. Diana concluded that this behavior was normal to them when it’s anything but. However, Diana just sat back and watched at how a voice from the phone began pinching Atsuko’s face into something of infuriation. Diana rolled her eyes.

“A last-minute decision? The hell, you guys haven’t even told me anything about the Cavendishes coming here!” A pause as the voice on the other line started to talk fast. “Of course I would fucking refuse! I still would right now!” Atsuko whines, “What would Kaa-chan say? You know first hand how all this arranged marriage thing goes! Otou-chan!”

Well, she wasn’t wrong on that. Diana has been planned to marry several fiancés before most of those ending up completely in the gutter by her mom and the De Louvre’s interventions. That, and she can’t stay in a proper relationship to save her life.

“What, so you’re just gonna hand me over!? I don’t even know them or the one you’re giving me to!” Another pause, then Atsuko’s face erupts in an embarrassed shade of red. “Wh-What!? S-S-She—“

Their eyes meet again and Diana freezes. She looked away, still polite with her posture and eyes the empty cup of tea in front of her. Once again, she’s impressed by how good the Japanese tea was, though nothing could beat her favorite type of Black Earl.

“I-I mean, this is just unfair! What about my career in theatre, huh?! I can’t just up and leave! I was cast as Galinda for god’s sake!” Atsuko gasped horrifically then, so dramatically that Diana would have thought that she just got a message about her brother getting gunned down. “YOU ALREADY _WHAT_!? ‘TOU-CHAN! THAT’S NOT FAIR, YOU CAN’T JUST— OTOU-CHAN!?“ A click, then the line went dead. Atsuko pulled back her phone to see the call already declining and her jaw fell. “ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!? _ARGH_!”

Diana smirked, delighted at how she saw the brat’s eyes starting to pool with tears before slamming her head into the table. The alpha quickly wiped it off, however, and just continued to admire the scenery outside. So much for this so-called ‘first’ meeting of theirs. She wonders if putting up with this girl for the next years was worth the extra arms and firepower they were going to get to protect the grove.

If this was their second meeting, Diana wouldn’t want to know the rest of the days coming.

“Unbelievable,” Diana heard the omega whisper and she saw her sitting up, glaring at her. “You can’t just let this happen. Aren’t angry by this?”

Diana hummed, as though she’s contemplating how to answer this. She glanced at Atsuko once then looked back at the pond. “Not particularly. If it’s for the good of Cavendishes, then who am I to object?”

“… You’re kidding right?” One of Atsuko’s eyes twitched before her fists slammed into the table. “You can’t just let anyone make these sort of decisions for you! What kind of dumb witted heiress would do this?!”

Now it was Diana’s turn to be annoyed. “One that is aware of their responsibilities as heiress, Miss Kagari. The union has been decided and signed by your grandfather and my aunt, and for this union to happen, we have to sign it as well. However, even if I bring a copy of this agreement to you, I still doubt you would understand what is needed for this.”

The air between them turned cold. Diana met Atsuko’s blistering gaze, which burned with flickering anger. “ _Oi_. Are you calling me dumb?”

Diana smirks at the sight. “Surprisingly, you caught on. So I suppose not completely. Pardon me, but you keep on frolicking around so much that I couldn’t help but assume that you’re less than a spoiled brat that won’t own up to the responsibility presented to them.”

One moment the omega was in front of her glaring daggers, the next she outside of the room, yelling orders left and right. “Where is Jii-chan! I want to talk to him! Get Nanaba-san here too right now, Hayate!”

***

“Diana… did you do something to the Oyabun’s granddaughter?” Amanda asked as Diana reads a book down on her lap. While waiting for the final agreements on the wedding, as well as Atsuko’s signature on the term of the union, the duo figured it was one of those rare moments of respite they had, and by Amanda’s suggestion, they went to visit one of Shinjuku’s most famous cafes. Daryl was left in the house to tend and explain the union to the brunette.

“What makes you think that, O'Neill?” Diana replied, not even glancing from her book.

“I heard one of the guards running around making calls and saying how this ‘young miss’ was going berserk somewhere,” Amanda sipped her latte absent-mindedly, watching and admiring the woodwork of the ceilings. “What did you say to her?”

“I merely stated to her why it’s important for heiresses like us to be aware of our responsibilities,” Diana flips to the next page.

“And?”

“And what?”

“Don’t play dumb, Di, you’re horrible with omegas. I know that wasn’t the only thing you told her. What else?”

“… I called her dumb.”

Amanda snickered. “Yeah, you’re getting dick cut off,” Then she put down her cup and leaned over to the other alpha. “Still though, I never expected that the granddaughter of the great Kagari Oyabun would be the runt from yesterday. Fate, maybe?”

“Please. It’s merely coincidence,” Diana answered as she closes her book. “That being said, don’t you think it’s strange that for such a high-profiled omega, the yakuza is letting her run rampant around the city? She was completely unguarded yesterday.”

“True, but I wouldn’t worry about it too much. What I wanted to say is that you’re a pretty lucky dog, aren’t you Diana?” Amanda smirked at her like she’s thinking about roasting her in front of the other patrons in the cafe. “Even after failing to get her yesterday, you still nabbed her! How many alphas can say that the person they failed to hit on yesterday becomes their fiancé the next?”

“Unfortunately, I’ve yet to hear such a tragedy,” Diana snarked back and picked up her tea drink.

**BAM!**

The doors of the cafe suddenly burst open, loudly proclaiming the arrival of a new patron. The duo blinked in surprise at the sound and turned to check whoever was coming in. Then Diana almost choked on her tea.

Atsuko Kagari, dressed in a short red plaid skirt and fitted red sweater, walked into the cafe admonishingly, her designer heels clicking loudly into the floor, followed closely by two guards. Diana could see Amanda’s jaw falling at the sight as the omega glanced around before catching sight of them, her maroon-tinted sunglasses covering her eyes.

_Why would you need sunglasses inside a building?_

Diana started to mentally prepare herself, taking a deep breath because Atsuko’s scent was ten times as strong as this morning was. Atsuko immediately went over to their table, her entire fashion sense demanding attention. As soon as she was near enough, Atsuko grabbed her sunglasses and raised them to rest on top of her head, revealing her maroon eyes that held the same sort of anger as Diana last saw them.

“Miss Kagari,” Amanda decided to acknowledge her, giving her a once-over. Diana does the same and tried not to dwell too long on the skin between the skirt and stockings. “To who do we owe this pleasure?”

“ _Akko_ is fine,” Akko snapped, motioning to sit down and one of the guards pulled up a chair for her to sit on. “And I came here because I’ve finally gotten the terms about this union about the grove, Diana.”

Diana arched a brow as Akko took her designer bag from one of her guards and began rummaging through it, pulling out a manila folder, and taking out several files, one of which Diana could recognize as a copy of the signed union between the Kagaris and the Cavendishes.

Akko all but shoved the paper into Diana’s face. “There! I signed the stupid union.”

Diana’s eyes widened slightly, slapping the omega’s hand away before grabbing the paper. Lo and behold, there it was, underneath her signed name and signature was something more… childish, littered with stars and hearts. Diana could only presume that this was Akko’s signature.

“So you could shove your words back and eat them!” Akko continues. “No one told me beforehand about you, Cavendish! I didn’t give two shits about who you were until this morning, and yet you already called me dumb!” She yelled, uncomfortably loud that Diana was worried that the other patrons inside the cafe would get annoyed by them. As she glanced around, however, she saw them being completely unperturbed by the scene that the omega was making. She was confused by the strange calmness before getting it. She looks back at Akko.

“I was merely making an unassuming statement, Miss Kagari,” Diana puts down the paper. “And if you were offended by it, then I apologize. I'm known for being out of line during first meetings.”

Akko genuinely looked surprised then. Did she not expect me to apologize? Diana thought before Akko said, “Like I said, call me Akko! I only signed this because your aunt had told me about your dilemma with the grove and your rivalry with the De Louvres or whatever,” She crossed her legs and looked down at her manicured nails as if they were interesting. “And I agree to the consent of deploying 100 of our swordsmen to that grove to protect it from the enemy line.”

Amanda gasped. _This idiot—!_ “Don’t outright say what’s on the paper!”She hissed, quickly looking around the cafe to see if anyone had caught her saying it.

Akko looks at her like she just noticed she was there. She glanced at Diana as she nods in Amanda’s direction. “And who’s this?”

“That’s Amanda O’Neill. She’s one of our strategists and leads our scotch businesses,” Diana answered without missing a beat.

Akko hummed and challenged, “Okay, well why can’t I say what I want to say then, huh, O’Neill?”

“Well, first off, _princess_ , this is a public area. There are eyes and ears around us so unless you want us to get caught in the middle of Tokyo’s Shinjuku, I suggest you shut that big mouth of yours, okay?” Amanda leans forward enough to glare her emerald gaze straight into Akko’s maroon ones, and bolstered her scent to be intimidating. Not enough to warrant stress from her bodyguards, but enough to give this brat a small warning.

Akko’s eyes quivered with fear for a bit and Diana could tell her breathing had switched into deeper ones. Then Akko looked down and closed her eyes. “Look around, you blockheads.”

Amanda blinked at her, befuddled at her statement. She glanced at Diana then they both looked around, watching the different patrons before noticing that the previous chatter from before was gone and was replaced with silence. None of them were touching their drinks.

“Those 100 swordsmen we’re giving you guys to? Well, they’re all here,” Akko said, taking the piece of paper up and waved it around. “And if I hadn’t signed this stupid union, you guys wouldn’t have these 100 talented people that my father personally trained for you to be in your grove protecting it. Isn’t that right, guys?”

Then the people all around the cafe stood up, bowing down to the direction of their table. Waiters and waitresses serving drinks, the rich-looking patrons even the janitor snoozing in the corner, were all responding to Akko’s words. “ _Yes, young miss!_ ”

Diana’s eyes were wide open and Amanda was speechless. Akko smiled and looked back at the one hundred soldiers in the cafe. “Okay, you guys are free to go back to your missions now!”

Then one by one, the supposed soldiers started to trickle out of the room. Diana was stunned. She hadn’t noticed their scents at all or demeanors at all.

“OW!” Amanda suddenly yelped, her knee banging the table as Akko kicked her foot. “Whaddya’ do that for!?”

“It means that I can say whatever I want!” Akko yelled back remorselessly then locked eyes with Diana. “See? I told you I know my responsibilities as an heiress.”


	3. Chapter 3

***

**Prompt: Akko likes to cook and is doing food experiments but Sucy and Lotte aren’t there to taste them. Fortunately, her neighbor, Diana, comes in as a clutch and is willing to get fed. Who needs roommates when you can feed your neighbor, right?**

*******

It was going to be another late night cramming into the third volume again. Christmas was approaching, but Diana is refusing to go home until then. Mostly because her aunt and cousins were there. Oh, and she has to finish her thesis. Whichever’s worse, Diana is suffering. Oh, and did she mention that she’s absolutely famished?

The alpha could change right now and eat outside in a cafe but the luxury of studying inside a warm cozy cafe was not worth the long haul of walking outside through the snowstorm. And Diana was getting sick of constantly ordering food online. She wanted something warm but alas, as an heiress whose upbringing typically had hired chefs running around the kitchen, she can’t really touch anything without knowing she might set off the fire alarm.

Diana would have three PhDs by then and she would still not understand how air fryers work.

The alpha sighed, pinching the space between her eyes as she looked away from the screen of her computer. Her cup of tea steamed away at the side of her desk, and she suddenly realized the emptiness of the whole apartment without her roommates. Lucky them, they can go home without any malicious family members waiting to disembowel their guts.

The alpha sighed again and picked up her tea to finish it before she heard her stomach rumble. She needed a quick meal before resuming her studying.

However, one quick trip to the kitchen told Diana that without Hannah around, she’s left with a box of Cheerios, a whole lettuce, one rotting tomato, and a half-empty expired jug of milk. No choice then, it’s either faint starving or a camp in a cafe again.

Diana changes into some thick sweaters and slacks as her stomach growled at her for food. Punching in her arms into her jacket, she finally went out, biting her tongue as the harsh winter winds scratched at her masked face. “Sweet Beatrix,” she whispered under her breath and went to the elevator.

As she made a beeline to it, however, one loud thump suddenly sounded from one of the doors she passed by. Room 303, three rooms away from hers. The alpha glanced at it, worried about the horrible sound it made. A high pitch voice screeched somewhere inside of the apartment and Diana cringed. She’s not usually one to butt into her neighbor’s business but…

_Knock knock knock!_

“Ah— be right out in a second!” The voice said from behind again. Diana was skeptical but she was sort of worried about what the person three rooms down was going to do.

The door opened and froze. ‘Oh wow,’ Diana thought as she gave the girl in front of her, her neighbor, a small once-over. She sees a red bruise forming on one of her arms. Large red eyes looked up at her from the door, warm light flushing from behind her. There was a savory aroma following the girl, something light and meaty that it made the alpha’s mouth water. The brunette with the strange little ponytail sitting on her hair grinned big up at her, cleaning her hands on the pink apron that she was wearing. “Hi! Is there anything I can help you with?”

Diana cleared her throat, trying to fight the blush away from her cheeks. “That’s supposed to be my line. I heard a loud noise, are you alright? Particularly,” She pointed at the bruise on her arm. “That.”

“Hm? Oh this,” The girl let out a cute giggle as she lightly touched the bruise. “A bit of the broth I made sorta’ splashed on my arm and I tripped over the table. I’m fine though.”

What? “You tripped over your table? Are you sure you don’t need help?” Diana pressed, becoming much more worried about the girl.

Then she laughed Diana’s worried face off. “Pfft, of course I don’t!” She giggled again, one much more soothing to Diana’s ears as she stared at how the girl’s eyes blinked at her face, like she was slowly recognizing her. “Say, are you one of the girls from Room 306?” When Diana nodded, the brunette sported a rather surprised look. “That’s strange, I saw your roommates leave the other day. You didn’t go home?”

“Ah, no,” Diana answered. “I still have work to do in my school.”

The brunette blinked up at her again and Diana was surprised at how long her eyelashes were. It framed her eyes nicely. She looked back to the spot where Diana’s room was. As the brunette moved around, she stepped outside, closer to Diana and she could finally smell her; strawberries with sweet sakura blooms. Definitely an omega. “You don’t look like you’re going home any soon. Where are you going? Out in _this_ weather?”

Diana suddenly snapped out of the scent of the omega in front of her and she stepped back, adjusting her bag containing her laptop and files. “I’m going out to eat in a cafe. Like you said, my roommates are back home for Christmas so,” she shrugged. “I have to feed myself one way or another. I was quite reliant on my roommate’s cooking and now that’s she’s away, I have to go buy myself some ingredients.”

The omega giggled again, leaning back on her own doorstep. “I feel you. My roommates left for this season too so it’s been kinda’ lonely.”

There was a pregnant pause after that, Diana not knowing what to say anymore. Otherwise, she’d just stare at the brunette more. So she shifts her feet and turned for the staircase. “Ahem, I better get going now—“

“Wait!” The brunette said and Diana glanced at her. She saw how her eyes widened with an idea, a big smile stretching into her lips. “Why don’t you come inside? I have more than enough food with me!”

Diana’s mouth fell. “W-What? Oh no, miss, I couldn’t—“

“Aw c’mon! I made more than enough ramen for us both!” She opened her door wider. “Plus, the weather’s horrible! You aren’t _really_ going out in _that_?”

True. As satisfying as the thought of going inside in a French cafe was, was the trouble of going through a snowstorm like this really worth it? She contemplated. The girl didn’t really look like a murderer, judging by her size. And Diana was a fool if she was going to reject free food.

So with a shrug, she turned back to the girl again. “I-If you’ll have me.”

The big grin the girl sent her way was certainly worth it. She stepped out and grabs her wrist, pulling her into her apartment. “Come inside then!”

Once her shoes were situated neatly in the front hall, Diana was led into the apartment that was no less identical to hers, only that there were… a lot of decorations around the walls, such as various paintings and posters, but otherwise, it was kept neat. Not as neat as Diana would like it but she believes it’s what gave it personality. But most of all, the heavenly of cooked broth nearly made Diana cry. It smelled so good, and the fact that she could also smell the omega working around the kitchen was a godly bonus.

The brunette looked up from picking out bowls after putting a bondage over the bruise on her arm. “Sit down, miss umm…”

“Just call me Diana,” the alpha replied, pulling out a chair and sitting down as she watched the brunette check the fridge. Diana’s fridge was pathetic in comparison to the packed food and ingredients inside the other girl’s fridge.

The brunette smiled again as she took out several Tupperwares containing other ingredients for the meal, closing the fridge door when her hips. “Cool! I’m Atsuko Kagari, but you can call me Akko!”

Diana was struck by how under the lighting of the kitchen, she could finally look closer into the omega’s face. As all omegas she met, this one was certainly a looker. As Akko prepped around in the kitchen, pouring in various sauces into the bowls and frying what Diana could smell as meat, the alpha looked around the living room. She noticed it was kind of spacious, with spaces between items in the couch and table, like several things were taken from it. Diana could then see how the apartment only hosted one person for a good amount of time, similar to hers.

“Okay, done!” The brunette exclaimed, picking up the bowls and setting one down in front of Diana, and holy _fuck_ , was it a sight to behold.

After all the sandwiches, oats, and tea that Diana consumed the previous days, looking at the bowl of noodles in front of her felt like she was looking at a meal from a five-star restaurant. It smelled _awesome_ , to say the least, and looking at it now, with the cuts of meat settling with the egg and vegetables on top of the soup, it’s safe to say that Diana was shamelessly drooling by now.

“Have you ever tried ramen before, Diana?” Akko asked, taking out two chopsticks and massive spoons with her and giving the other to the alpha.

Diana shook her head nervously as she tried to adjust the chopsticks into her hand. It was obvious she was doing it awkwardly because of the amused smile Akko sent her way. “I tried instant noodles once. It doesn’t look in any way similar to this dish in front of me.”

“Hehe, no offense, but I think anything from my mother’s cookbook knocks out any instant noodles out of the park,” Akko grinned at her and clapped her hands together. “Let’s eat then. _Itadakimasu_!”

Diana opted to taste the soup first after seeing the way Akko easily took a whole strand of noodles into her mouth from the bowl. It tasted mind-blowing. After days of eating sandwiches, while much healthier, Diana could as well say she hasn’t eaten anything as good as this ramen in front of her in her whole college life. Sure, there were the posh parties and meetings she was invited over for, but she was always conservative about her meals. She took the noodles into her mouth and it was soft, chewy, and tender, soaked in the heavenly broth. She tasted the mushrooms and vegetables. It had the fresh _crunch_ when Diana bit into it. The pork belly was immaculately divine and it made her stuff her face continuously full.

And before Diana realized it, the only thing in the bowl left was the little soup left in the bottom of the bowl. The way she handled the chopsticks was probably awkward, uncharacteristic of Diana’s usual poise but when the food is _that_ good, Diana couldn’t care less if she looked stupid. She was just happy she could eat a hot, fresh, and most of all, _delicious_ meal.

The alpha heard giggling again in front of her and found Akko giggling while her face was stuffed with the meat she biting through, looking at Diana so bemusedly. “I take it was good?” Akko asked after swallowing her cut.

“It’s amazing,” Diana breathed, lifting the bowl to down the rest of the broth shamelessly.

“That’s nice to hear!” Akko chirped as she slurps the rest of her noodles away, getting a bit of broth on her face. “It’s been a week since Lotte and Sucy went back to their hometown for Christmas so I’ve got no one to feed for a while. Do you want seconds?”

Diana lent her bowl. “Yes please,” Akko was pleased by the answer, her cheeks lighting up in a proud shade of red as she took her bowl and went to refill it. As the alpha watched the omega pour in the next set into her spent bowl, Diana was soon struck with a question. “If I may ask, Akko, why didn’t _you_ go back home?”

“Oh, that,” Akko glanced at her for a bit before putting another pork belly into the bowl and the rest of the toppings. She chuckled. “I was supposed to go home some time ago, but then the weather got worst so any flights to Japan were canceled. So I’m stuck here for a while until then. Here you go,” Akko placed the next bowl of ramen in front of Diana, the steam billowing into the heiress’s face.

Diana felt bad for the girl. She wondered if she was excited about going back to her hometown like her roommates were only for it to be intervened by something you can’t really control. While Diana had all the means to go back and celebrate with her cousins, she chose not to, whereas this girl just couldn’t under the weather. The alpha tried going slower this time, wanting to appreciate the noodles a little bit better but each time Diana tried pulling up a reasonable strand, the angle of her chopsticks were awkward enough for it to fall back. So much for her dexterity fit for a surgeon.

“Jeez,” Akko giggled again and gave her instead a fork to eat with, which Diana was grateful for. There wasn’t really much talking after that, as the two of them were busy finishing off their bowls. Surprisingly, Diana actually managed to finish three whole bowls by the time she was stuffed. She wasn’t a voracious eater by any means but something about the food the brunette in front of her prepared had her asking for more.

Diana huffed as she wiped the bit of pork off of her face, satisfied and full of the free meal from her neighbor. Akko smiled at her proudly, obviously pleased to see that her meal was appreciated outside of her friends. As Diana let herself digest from the wonderful meal of noodles, she glanced at her watch and saw that she seemed to stay longer than she was supposed to. As Akko began drying the dishes off. Diana stood up from her seat and took her bag from the couch. “Thank you so much for the free meal, Akko. I appreciate it. I’d like to return the favor someday.”

“Aw shucks!” Akko grinned at her again, looking up from the bowls she was washing. “It’s nothing, Diana! I miss feeding someone, anyway. If you want to, you can come over tomorrow again for dinner. So you don’t have to, you know, go outside and freeze to death.”

Diana’s heart skipped a beat the prospect of another free meal presented by the omega in front of her. She stared at Akko with wide eyes, looking at her face to see if she was lying. There was none. “Are you sure? I-I don’t want to be a bother, though…”

“Eh?” Akko whined, placing the last of the dishes in the dish rack. “You’re not, I assure you. You’re nice to be around, Diana, and besides, you said you can’t cook right?”

“I didn’t outright say that… but yes, I prefer somebody else’s cooking over my own,” Diana sighs sheepishly at her as the omega’s face curled into thought.

“Ah, I know! So that the food in my fridge won’t get spoiled, and _you_ won’t starve, how about I give you food over sometimes?” Akko ecstatically suggested, her eyes gleaming delightfully at Diana. “I do a bunch of food experiments whenever I’m not busy, but ever since my adviser told me to watch my diet, I couldn’t finish them all. That’s what Such and Lotte do for me, they eat the food I make out of a whim. Jasmnika is more than happy to eat them, though Amanda’s dorm is like, four blocks away from here so I can’t really go out all willy nilly. So… can you do it for me?”

Diana blinked as all she can think of is that Akko’s going to cook her food? For the rest of the week? “Um… sure?” The alpha wasn’t really sure what she getting herself into right now. However, even if her upbringing was lavish as an heiress, Diana knew the concept of free food wasn’t something she’s going to pass up.

Also, the smile Akko sent to her was _gleaming_. The alpha was almost knocked out of her feet from the dazzling radiance of it. Akko bounded outside of the kitchen and leaped out to pull Diana into a tight hug and almost immediately, Diana felt her whole face burn. Akko was _warm_ , holy shit. “Thank you, thank you, _thank you_!”

***

The whole night, Diana had more than enough energy to continue studying for more than four hours, as opposed to her usual grinding of three. It would because she finally had a proper meal aside from tea and half-assed milk + something snack, or it could be because the tomorrow after this, it would not be the last time she’s going to see her omega neighbor.

Diana slept soundly at night thinking of the glorious ramen Akko made, and she probably drooled a lot in her sleep by then. Proof was the massive puddle on the side of her pillow. Ew.

As Diana washed her pillowcase off in the morning, a sudden knock to her door alerted her of a guest, and behind her door stood Akko, dressed in massive layers fit for the weather, a red scarf covering half of her face, but no mistaken, from the way her eyes crinkled as Diana greeted her, she was smiling. Diana only wished she could see it.

“Mornin’, neighbor!” The omega exclaimed happily before handing Diana over a pink Tupperware container. “Here you go!”

Diana took it hesitantly. “What’s this?”

“Cheese salmon and shrimp fried rice! Like, instead of just shrimp, I thought this morning why not make it with fish too? So I made that as my breakfast thing, and since of course, you’re coming in as my first subject, Diana, you’re getting the prototype!” Akko explained animatedly, her arms flailing around in a way that Diana thought she was adorable.

“Well, salmon is one of the best proteins to eat in the morning,” Diana replied, looking down the container that felt so warm in her hand.

“See!?” Akko’s eyes shone brightly at Diana’s nod of approval before a ring sang from her watch. “Aw crap, gotta’ go to the set now! Enjoy your meal, Diana!”

The omega skipped off to the elevator on the other end of the hallway, waving back to the alpha happily before she disappeared behind metal doors. The food was still piping hot when Diana lifted the lid off the container, and all Diana could think of is how on earth does the brunette make everything she makes smell so _good_?

Diana was modest at first about her first bite of the fried rice, but as it entered her mouth, the flavor of both shrimp and salmon burst into her mouth like fireworks. The rice only accented the tenderness of the salmon’s meat, and though a tad too salty for Diana’s taste, she thought the chickpeas littered around was nice. In the end, Diana finished it off proudly, and she was ready for another day of grinding in the library.

***

The next morning, Akko was on her doorstep again, bouncing on her feet with two containers in her hand. Diana held out the washed container from yesterday and they exchanged.

“Your fried rice yesterday was amazing, Akko,” Diana said with a smile. The container was warm yet again, freshly made. There was a gentle feeling stifling itself in Diana’s heart from the prospect of warm food.

“It was!?” Akko exclaimed in surprise from Diana’s comment, almost recoiling. “Thanks so much! I was a bit squeamish when I added in cheese with the salmon because those things usually don’t come together. I’m glad it did though!”

“Lady Luck must’ve pulled through then,” Diana chuckled looking through one of the containers, tilting it for a bit to see better. “What about this?”

“Pulled pork omelet with spring onion pancakes!” Akko’s eyes shone again. “I woke up a little earlier today so I managed to make some of the pancakes. You should try them!” _Gladly_. “I better head back now. Enjoy your meal!”

Akko went back to her apartment, waving to the alpha before she disappeared in the door, almost tripping in the process. Diana chuckled back down to the container in her head before going to the kitchen to see it. A bright yellow omelet with her name written on top of it in ketchup smiled at her once Diana lifted the lid away.

‘God she’s so cute,’ the alpha thought, ready to dig in.

***

Akko came back again in the afternoon, as Diana was running through several researches of her professor when the exciting beats of knocking came to her attention. Akko held out another container to the alpha’s face, almost smacking her glasses in the process. “Hey! You doing good?”

“Um, fine. I was just reading papers. I haven’t washed the Tupperwares yet though,” Diana replied, taking the container. She adjusted her glasses to take a better look at the omega and her eyes wandered to the Shiny Chariot shirt she wore. “You’re a Shiny Chariot fan?”

“Oh! I am!” Akko looks down at her shirt and back at the alpha’s bewildered look. “You know her?”

“I saw one of her shows back when I was a child,” Diana shrugged, remembering one of her oldest memories, back when her mother is alive. It was melancholic but it was one of my most cherished memories at the time. It’s what made her interested in theatre for a bit back in high school, but as she grew older, she knew she had to focus on the duties given to her as the next head of the Cavendish manor.

Akko smiled widely after her answer. “That’s so cool! I have some recorded tapes of her old shows back in my room! You should come over sometime so we can watch it! But gotta go back though, my professor’s probably looking where I am now. Enjoy!”

The omega left quickly again, settling into the elevator as she bounced on her leg. Diana watched her leave until she couldn’t see her anymore before slowly retreating to her room. She opened the container and found it contained what she could think of as fried mozzarella sticks with a bright red coating. Hesitantly, Diana lifted one after dipping it in its cheese sauce before chewing on it. The cheese stretched from her lips and Diana could think was, “It’s spicy.”

***

Akko was bouncing on her doorstep again the next day and Diana already came prepared with clean Tupperwares and a smile. As the omega gave her next breakfast, Diana asked, “Are you really going to feed me every day?”

Akko blinked at the question, looking at Diana with a tilt to her head and the alpha felt like her heart was going faster than it should. Her face contorts into something of worry and gratefulness, as if it was _her_ that asked for a favor of feeding Diana every day. “Well, you are trying experiments out of a whim, so as long as I’m not poisoning you, can I?”

Diana already knows the answer to that. She gratefully accepted the container and Akko went off once more to places she needed to be. Underneath the lid were fried wings with a delicious garlic sauce and once more, Diana didn’t even think twice before finishing it all of.

***

It was the first time Diana saw Akko outside of the apartment a few days after the routine of free morning food. While the food that Akko delivered to her every morning (and occasionally, afternoon too), Diana knew she needed to do her own groceries too. She can’t rely her appetite entirely on Akko, and a Cavendish should never depend on others for their appetite.

Well, that’s a half-lie. The head chef in the Cavendish manor has been serving them for years so it’s not like Diana knew what she getting at by doing grocery shopping in the nearest store. Fortunately, by some stroke of luck, Akko was there in the spices aisle looking at chili flakes. Diana almost dropped her basket.

“Ah, Diana! Wassup, neighbor!” One glance and Akko’s attention swerved from the spices in her hand and to the alpha, all smiles as she pushed her cart towards her. Diana notes her outfit of a massive bomber jacket, jeans, and shirt. Light attire. “What’re you doing here? Weren’t you like, studying?”

“I was, until I realized I can’t really rely on you all the time for food,” Diana said before glancing down to Akko’s basket. It was filled with flour and sugar, all sorts of ingredients that could might as well be a feast. “And… that’s a lot.”

“Oh, this? I’m planning to bake a bunch of cookies for my trope for our Christmas party, but mostly I’m just buying new ingredients for my next food experiments,” Akko then picked up the packet of shiitake mushrooms from her cart. “Like this! I’m going to add this next time I make tempuras!”

Diana smiled as the brunette shook the package before placing it back down. “Knowing you, I’m sure you can figure something out with it. You said you have a trope?”

Akko pushed the cart past her and Diana seemed to notice now how the brunette’s smile didn’t ever seem to drop. “Yep! I’m a theatre arts student, and my professor scouted me for the annual Christmas play. You know those things Luna Nova holds in the national hospital for the children?”

“Of course,” The alpha froze in her steps as she stared at the omega who began looking up at the shrimp crackers sitting on the top shelf. “So you’re an actress for it then?”

“Yep! Supposedly, I was just going to be the understudy but for some stroke of luck, Professor Ursula pulled through for me and made me have the main lead,” Akko stood up on her tiptoes, stretching her arm out to retrieve the shrimp crackers. Diana took the box easily, handing it over to the omega as she gave her a surprised look.

“That’s great! You never told me you were in that play. I used to work in the hospital last summer as an intern,” Diana said, following Akko into the fresh produce section where she was looking at lemons and blueberries.

“And you never told me you used to work there!” Akko giggled back, picking up some lemons and placing them in a small cellophane for sanitation. “By the way, what do you think of lemonade cookies?”

It went like that for a while, just Diana following Akko around whilst the latter asked her what would taste good with what. Now, Diana was no connoisseur, telling Akko what she thinks of this meal and that but Akko looked so earnest about what she thought about food that the alpha couldn’t really have it in her to leave her hanging. Each time Diana said something about a food that was good, Akko would place the ingredient inside the cart. Seeing the amount of items in the cart then made Diana feel bad.

When Akko was the one in line to check out her groceries, Diana stepped up to the plate and paid for it. “What? Diana, you didn’t have to,” Akko whined as she saw the heiress swiping her card through the machine and punching in the code.

“I didn’t but I wanted to,” Diana glanced back at her. “Consider this as payment for the ramen.”

The omega blinks at her again before a sly look stretches into her face. “You think you can also carry the groceries back home too then?”

The alpha sighed and did just that, following the skipping omega back to the apartment while carrying both the bags of ingredients in her hand. They swiftly went back, wanting to avoid spending more time out in this type of weather, and Diana was led once more into the half-empty apartment of 303.

“Just leave the ingredients on the table. I can make hot chocolate, you want some?” Akko asked, taking out a bar of chocolate and a pack of cocoa out of the fridge. Again, Diana was obviously no fool so she accepts and soon, she was sitting on the couch of the apartment, staring out into the balcony with a hot mug of chocolate resting in her hand. The rich aroma of the chocolate wafted directly into her nose yet all she could focus on was Akko’s scent all around her. The omega was sitting on the other side of the couch, nursing her own mug before breaking into a conversation again.

“Hey, Diana,” The alpha glanced up. “Thanks for today. I had a lot of fun talking to you. Speaking of that play earlier, do you want to come see it? I think you already know where’s it’s happening.”

And there it was again, her heart skipping a beat. Diana felt her whole face lit up at Akko’s ask, almost speechless for a while before her mind resumed working. “Of course. I enjoyed your company today as well. I’ll gladly watch it.”

The smile Akko sent her way was blinding, like the sun after days of being close off by the clouds. Somehow, this time it felt warmer than it should and the alpha wasn’t sure if it came from her mug of hot chocolate or the rise of red burning her ears and cheeks.

***

Several days came and went as Christmas Day finally came. Diana bit into the leftover lemonade cookies Akko dropped off for her before going back to the set. It went surprisingly well with her favorite black tea. She wrote a few more sentences into the paper she doing before reviewing the whole thing again and finally deemed it complete. She sighed in relief as her eyes wandered around her neat albeit dark room before they landed on the pink gift settled on her bed, topped with a red bow.

The alpha’s eyes widened and checked the clock. “It’s still going to be half an hour before they start,” she whispered to herself, standing up quickly and changing into clothes fit for the weather. Once she punched her arms into the final layer of sweaters, she snatched the gift off the bed and went off.

The streets were littered with snow and people, Christmas lights dinging from every street corner, making the night glow warmly. She ran towards the national hospital quickly, her scars whipping past her face before finally reaching the open field where they situated the play. Bleachers of kids in warm clothes flocked around, the nurses guiding them. The stage looked childish, with bright colors and equally bright props standing around, just as the same as every year.

The alpha smiled at the sheer joy on the children’s faces as they waited for the play to begin, and as she sat down on one of the vacant seats of the bleachers, the gift safely tucked at her side, Diana saw from the corner of her eye the shade of the omega’s hair behind the colors of the stage, talking to a tall spectacled woman with midnight blue hair. Then the lights dimmed. A woman’s gentle voice starts reverberating out of the speakers and the play began slowly as the main characters entered the stage.

Diana's heart almost stopped as the omega finally stepped in, wearing a soft-looking white dress, her hair straightened down by a silver headband. She looked needlessly ethereal. The alpha’s breath was taken away. Earlier this morning, Akko was dressed in nothing less than faded jeans, a hoodie with an overlay hoodie, and her silly cute ponytail, nothing like the goddess that stood on the stage talking to the other main lead. Yet, Diana can’t believe it herself that it really was the same girl.

The alpha smiled as the omega danced around, her movements refined with grace, not at all clumsy, and voice nothing like the energetic chirp Diana’s used to hear in the morning. And yet, while Akko was completely in character with her voice and movements, not missing a single line, there was something in the way the omega spun around the stage that reminded Diana of the burst of energy that was Atsuko Kagari, the silhouette of the girl that she is.

When the play finally finished, with the actors giving bows to the audience, Diana wasn’t enough to reach Akko as dozens of kids suddenly swarmed over to her. The alpha watched from afar as children went over to marvel over the brunette, talking to her animatedly that wasn’t too far from how Akko herself acted. Akko replied to them kindly, gently holding their hands and patting their hair, releasing a scent so calming Diana might’ve thought she was in the safest place in the world.

The gift beside Diana finally went to her grasp and as the nurses guided the children back inside where a banquet of sweets waited. Diana nervously approached the omega nearer as she conversed more with a little girl with ponytails.

“You were so cool up there, Akko!” The little girl cried as Akko crouched down to her height, grasping her hand. “I hope you can come back next year too!”

“I sure will, Bianca,” Akko softly said, letting go of the child’s hand and patting her shoulder. “Now go, otherwise the gingerbread men will be gone.”

The child nodded and waved goodbye to the brunette as she went back to where the other kids were gathering. Diana stepped closer once the child was far away enough, Akko not yet noticing her presence. “You’re good with children,” She said, the brunette flinching from her voice. Akko turned to look at her then, eyes wide with surprise. “You were amazing, Akko.”

“Mou, you surprised me, Diana!” Akko exclaimed, chuckling to herself as Diana stepped nearer. The alpha didn’t have to but there was something inside her that made her want to get near as the omega as possible.

“Here,” The alpha took out the pink gift from under her arm and held it out to the omega, consciously covering her face with the scarf as she blushed, yet she refused to look away from the omega’s face. “A gift. For you.”

Now Akko was blushing, redder than her eyes which blinked into ruby when the warm lights of the stage and Christmas tree hit it. She shyly accepted the gift and stared at it, “T-Thanks. What is it?”

Diana smiled sheepishly, appreciating the irony of the same question she kept asking Akko whenever she sent a meal over to her. “It’s just a sweater. Um, it’s not much but I keep noticing you wear a lot of t-shirts whenever you go out. That’s a special brand for omegas during the winter, so I think you’ll like it.”

Akko’s mouth fell open as a pink cotton seater appeared under the wrapper, her fingers gently swiping and felt the softness of the shirt. She smiled ate it before looking up at the alpha and said, “Can you wait in the lobby for a bit? I need to change. You can help yourself with refreshments over at the banquet.”

And the omega ran off, clutching the gift to her as closely and Diana went over to look at the table where the children were eating away. She noticed the cookies she ate earlier while she studied were the same ones sitting on the plates, smiling as children took the cookies after devouring one after another. It took five minutes before Akko finally came out into the field again, wearing dark pants and… the sweater she got her.

Diana’s heart started to act up at the sight of the omega strutting towards her, smiling the smile whenever she sees her at her doorstep carrying a Tupperware of fresh food. She almost dropped the chocolate chip cookie in her hands. Fortunately, Akko snatched it away from her and took a bite out of it herself. “Let’s go? I bet you’re freezing.”

The way back home was a silent one, where Akko’s feet were skipping around, kicking the excess snow gathering on the path walk as Diana followed her closely on her side, watching her every move, and the alpha noticed the very warm shade of red on the brunette’s cheek, one of her hands playing with the hem of her shirt. Something bold gathered in Diana’s chest and hesitantly took Akko’s arm the moment they turned an empty corner, looking into her eyes. “You’re cold,” she said, glancing down to the omega’s open neck and Diana took off her own and scarf and wrapped it around her. “You should’ve brought your scarf.”

Akko giggled as if she found the action funny, her laugh akin to the chime of the bell that took Diana’s attention. Once again, something tightened in the alpha’s chest and she wondered if the glint in the omega’s eyes was the same one that she gave her every morning. “I forgot. I can make some tomato back in my place. Wanna come with?”

At this point, Diana couldn’t really find herself to refuse anymore. Her work was done, Akko didn’t have any other agenda today, and the Cavendish manor was kilometers away. So she slid her hand further down, courage letting her grasp the warm hands that fed her for days now. Warm and right, she looked back at the omega’s eyes and said, “Sure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shameless out-of-season fluff.


End file.
